PREP FOOTBALL: Unbeaten Carrollton just keeps on rolling

Hawks close in on sixth WIVC South title in row

Greg Shashack, gshashack@s24532.p831.sites.pressdns.com

Published
8:30 pm CDT, Monday, September 25, 2017

Photo: James B. Ritter / For The Telegraph

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Carrollton’s Byron Holmes (left) breaks through the line off a big block from teammate Logan Shaw during a Hawks’ 39-0 win over the Greenfield Tigers on Sept. 14 in Carrollton. The Hawks are 5-0 and positioned to win a sixth consecutive WIVC South title. less

Carrollton’s Byron Holmes (left) breaks through the line off a big block from teammate Logan Shaw during a Hawks’ 39-0 win over the Greenfield Tigers on Sept. 14 in Carrollton. The Hawks are 5-0 and ... more

Photo: James B. Ritter / For The Telegraph

PREP FOOTBALL: Unbeaten Carrollton just keeps on rolling

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CARROLLTON – Carrollton Hawks football has ascended to a level that resists the requirement for a regular rebuild of the program.

A 49-11 record and five WIVC South championships from the previous five seasons had Carrollton conditioned to expect success again in 2017. But the immediate results the Hawks have produced still could be considered a bit of a surprise.

“We graduated a lot of kids last year,” Carrollton coach Nick Flowers said. “We had to replace a Jerrett Smith and a two-year starting quarterback in Wade Prough and a great receiver like Jeremy Watson. It brought up some early season challenges, for sure, replacing those guys. … To start the season the way we have, very happy. We’ve seen some good football teams.”

The Hawks overcame second-half deficits in each of their first three games. Carrollton was down 11 points in the fourth quarter before rallying to beat Concord Triopia 39-30 in its opener on the road. The Hawks took down WIVC North favorite Beardstown 33-29 in Week 2 in Carrollton and went back on the road to win a hard-fought battle with Calhoun 25-22 in Hardin to reach 3-0.

The replacements at quarterback, running back and receiver may have been unproven at the varsity level, but the pipeline fueling Carrollton is delivering more than talent.

“One thing I really observed during two-a-days is how unselfish this year’s group is,” Flowers said. “Leadership, natural leadership, is there and it’s been one of the most exciting groups that I’ve coached in a long time. A great group of kids, not just on the field, but outside of football as well.”

The on-field success starts up front with an offensive line featuring Isaac Cox, Jacob Decker, Logan Shaw, Nathan Leonard and Emmett Harrelson. Harrelson is stationed at center with the other four rotating “for various reasons,” Flowers said, between guard and tackle for an offense averaging 36.8 points per game with a nearly equal split between run and pass.

“In the game of football, it’s all won up front, on both sides of the ball,” Flowers said. “With good blocking, run and pass, it does allow kids to be successful and we had that early on. When you have holes to run through and you have time at the quarterback position, you can do a lot back there. We are being successful right now, definitely, because of the play on our offensive and defensive lines. That’s allowing our young skill kids to mature.”

The catalyst on offense is sophomore quarterback Hunter Flowers, a 6-foot-1, 165-pound left-hander and nephew of the head coach and defensive coordinator.

“He’s just a football kid,” Flowers said of his nephew. “He has more hours of game-film watching since being 3 years old up until now than most guys ever do. He watches his uncles – Rodney and I – argue about the game, he watches us debate about schemes. … He’s just a football kid.”

Hunter Flowers has completed 62 of 109 passes for 1,134 yards and 15 touchdowns. He threw for four TDs during the Hawks’ 46-point second quarter in Friday’s 52-0 victory over West Central.

And at 6-1, considerably taller than his predecessors at QB in the Hawks spread offense, Hunter Flowers can scan the field from the pocket rather than creating sight lines by rolling out. And his coach is seeing weekly improvement.

“Every game, his vision is getting better and better,” Nick Flowers said. “That’s what it takes for a quarterback. Now, he doesn’t just throw to open receivers, he’s starting to anticipate where their break’s going to be. They turn around and the ball’s there. We’re going to be able to do a lot with him.”

Carrollton’s defense is coming off back-to-back shutouts, beating Greenfield 39-0 before routing West Central. Flowers figured defense would require on-the-job training before the Hawks would do their best work. The level of play Carrollton’s scout-team offense can offer its defense can’t prep for the likes of Triopia, Beardstown and Calhoun.

“The offenses we see on Friday nights are very, very good,” Nick Flowers said. “Varsity football is so fast. So it was going to take several Friday nights to face good offenses for our defense to get things down a little bit.”

The defense is led by Decker and Leonard on the line, Alex Bowker and Holmes, the team’s leading tacklers, at linebacker, and Walker and Zach Flowers in the secondary. “Those six are leading our group out there,” Nick Flowers said.

The Hawks were on the verge of cracking the top 10 in the Associated Press’ Class 1A state poll last week. Carrollton wraps up South Division play with road games at Pleasant Hill (2-3) and North Greene (0-5) the next two weeks looking to clinch a sixth successive league championship. Carrollton has won 27 of its last 29 conference games.

“We feel like it’s a system-type thing,” said Flowers, who owns a 98-45 record in his 14th season at his alma mater. “We have buy-in from the kids. Even with that, it still takes hard-working kids. We have kids that have a little bit of an edge. I don’t think these kids are out there everywhere. I think we’ve got something special going here with how our community is raising these kids and how we’re developing them on the football field.”